Filter (The Outpost)

Yesterday I saw Filter for the first time and it was amazing and incredible and fun and holy smokes was it one of the best concerts of my life. With everything I had read about Richard Patrick being ‘washed out’ at previous live shows, I was expecting a man with a wrinkly face forming incoherent sentences, maybe even forgetting his own lyrics. His commentary for the song Watch The Sun Come Out Tonight sorta made me believe all the reviews. But seriously, the performance was anything but a drug-afflicted sob fest.

The Outpost is an extremely intimate venue. I seriously think there were less than 100 people in the place. I could be way off on that count, but it has such a small, warm feel that I want to believe it. My friend Royce and I were literally an arms length away from Richard Patrick throughout the entire set. I was dead center in front of the stage. I danced with a bunch of Filter fans, threw my hands up at almost every chorus, and felt my eyes water a few times when I realized that they were playing some of my favorite songs ever.

Before the show, Royce and I were chilling near one of the bars. A very well-dressed blonde girl and a very well-dressed boy with fun hair walked up to us. The guy pointed at Royce’s shirt (Invader Zim) and said how much he loved it, then hiked up his shirt sleeve to show us his Invader Zim tattoo. Only when Filter took the stage did I realize that the guy was Chris Reed, THE DRUMMER. How. Effing. Awesome. And how effing stupid of me to not look up the faces of all band members beforehand.

The blonde, none other than Ashley Dzerigan, rocked a sweet studded guitar strap on her bass. It’s so great to see ladies playing instruments in bands like Filter and BRMC. The novelty of it never gets old.

Filter was a very well dressed band. Before the show I had picked out the Filter members without even realizing it. (Besides Richard – I know that face to a T.) The way they all dressed, you could tell they had a great sense of style and that they just belonged together somehow. And the drummer and bassist weren’t the only ones with great hair. Lead guitarist Oumi Kapila had some huge locks that he tied up for some of the show – a trademark look for the man, I imagine.

More highlights of the show include getting tossed around by the mosh pit that took place during Hey Man, Nice Shot, and seeing a guy in a NIN Tension shirt being the most active member of the audience. That lucky fellow snagged one of the set lists at the end, and let me take a photo of it (along with the back of his shirt.)

More about Royce: I’ve known the guy since I started college. I used to buy my waffles, pancakes and omelettes from him via my dining plan card way back when. We started talking when he saw me sporting a NIN shirt one day. I had never really spent much time with him outside of the cafeteria until last night, and I’m so glad I got the chance to experience a show with another music junkie like me. He’s lucky enough to have seen Filter a few years back… oh, and his first concert ever? NIN with David Bowie. I won’t get into how salty I am about that.

More about the venue: The Outpost is a little concert hall in Kent, Ohio that boasts a dark interior, two bars and an eclectic staff. With its carpeted and wooden floors, you can tell the building has gone through numerous expansions throughout the years. The place is only open specifically for live shows, which is about two nights a month.

Here are some photos from the gig. Thank you, Filter, for choosing to play at this little venue before kicking off your festival tour.